The World According to Me

Per
Washington Post:

Asked why he waited several days to publicly express his frustrations after finding out about the AIG bonuses, he coolly said: “It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I’m talking about before I speak.”

Interesting concept, this “knowing what I’m talking about before I speak” business.  It’s good to have a president that actually thinks on a subject before expressing expertise on it.  Sadly, it is a philosophy that far too many in the country he leads fail to follow.  Particularly his critics, who bandy about words like “socialism”, “communism”, “fascism”, “dictatorship”, and others, with absolutely no idea what they mean.  Case in point…

Kinda pathetic, isn’t it.  To be totally against something (and perhaps rightfully so), but have absolutely no idea what is means, or why you should be against it (or how to spell it).  However, that never seems to matter to the ignorant and gullible among us, who are so easily manipulated by the talking points of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh.  They take a measure of pride in their lack of sophistication, often expressed in blog comments and called in rantings on talk radio.  To them, intelligence and critical, independent thought is actually more terrifying to them than the so-called “socialism” they claim to fear.  It is terrifying because it would require a level of personal responsibility, the need to know what they’re talking about before talking, then actually have to prove their point.  See, these are people who want everyone to hear them, but they really don’t have much to say so they say whatever they’re told by right-wing talking heads, Fox News, evangelical preachers, special interests, anyone who tells them anything remotely resembling what they want to hear.

Well, I’m about to take that comfort away from them.  Here are definitions of the words that they most use to describe President Obama’s policies.  I don’t expect that this will change their minds much (and may terrify them even more).  However, at the very least it will serve as a guide so that the next time they bring up the word “socialism” or any other of the rightie buzzwords, they won’t have to go to their blackberry to look it up.  Unfortunately, it will place one more burden upon their already overburdened intellectual capacity.  They’ll actually have to prove their point.

From Merriam-Webster Online:

Socialism

1. any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2.  
   1. A system of society or group living in which there is no private property
   2. A system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3. a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done.

Communism

1.  
   1. A theory advocating the elimination of private property
   2. A system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed
2.  
   1. A doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the USSR
   2. A totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production
   3. A final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably
   4. Communist systems collectively

 Dictatorship

1. the office of dictator
2. autocratic rule, control, or leadership
3.  
   1. a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique
   2. a government organization or group in which absolute power is so concentrated
   3. a despotic state

 Fascism

1. a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2. a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control

 
President Points to Progress on Economic Efforts
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/24/AR2009032403207.html?hpid=topnews

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

Those of you who have school-aged children (or were school-aged children yourselves) may understand what its like to be an outsider trying to fit in.  Actually, kids and adults at some place in their lives find themselves trying to be a part of the “in crowd”.  That clique of “cool kids” on the block (or the job) that always seemed to have it all.  Money, friends, popularity, and most of all, power.  Power is probably the most important attraction, as these were the “kids” who could seemingly get away with anything and catch all of the breaks.  So you, in your pathetic desperation to be a part of something big, would compromise everything you were about to be a part of this group.  When you were a kid, you slack off from your school work and let your grades slip.  You’d become a troublemaker, perhaps taking up nasty habits like cutting class or smoking.  As an adult you may find yourself adopting a devil-may-care attitude toward work, or taking positions that you don’t agree with.  Anything to be a part of the “in crowd” because, after all, that’s the whole point.  Everyone wants to be popular.  Everyone wants to be loved, even if it means selling yourself out.

Enter current Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele.  In the four weeks since he’s been RNC chair it would seem, if you can believe a tenth of what has come out of his mouth, that he’s compromised just about every position that he’s held.  It started with an interview with DL Hugely where he said this about Rush Limbaugh.

Rush is not the head of the Republican Party. He’s an “entertainer” whose show is “incendiary” and “ugly.”

He later offered his mea culpa to Limbaugh, claiming to “have enormous respect for Rush” and conceding that he “was maybe a bit inarticulate”.  While hardly the pinnacle of his ineptitude to that date, it certainly the most glaring.  Then there was the GQ interview where he indicated his belief in abortion as a “choice”, and that people are “born” homosexual.  These comments, particularly the one regarding abortion, also having to be quickly squashed via an RNC spokesperson as follows (from First Read).

“I am pro-life, always have been, always will be,” Steele said. ”I tried to present why I am pro life while recognizing that my mother had a ‘choice’ before deciding to put me up for adoption. I thank her every day for supporting life. The strength of the pro-life movement lies in choosing life and sharing the wisdom of that choice with those who face difficult circumstances. They did that for my mother and I am here today because they did. In my view Roe vs. Wade was wrongly decided and should be repealed. I realize that there are good people in our party who disagree with me on this issue. But the Republican Party is and will continue to be the party of life. I support our platform and its call for a Human Life Amendment. It is important that we stand up for the defenseless and that we continue to work to change the hearts and minds of our fellow countrymen so that we can welcome all children and protect them under the law.”

BTW, the Human Life Amendment that Steele mentions amount to essentially a Constitutional amendment to ban abortions.  So that’s yet another flip-flop for the chairman.

So one would think at this point in the game that our hero Michael would give up on his quest to be part of the “in crowd”.  However, as resilient as ever, he gives what would amount to perhaps his most bizarre interview yet.  Guest hosting William Bennett’s national conservative radio program, he went on a pure tirade.  He lambasted Republicans for inserting their own earmarks into the omnibus spending bill, compared Obama to Nixon, described the current political climate as “Armageddon”, blamed the media for all of the charges against him and the calls for him to step aside, and in the most mind-boggling example of relaying something as fact that you know is fiction, he gives his view of Global Warming.

“We are cooling. We are not warming. The warming you see out there, the supposed warming, and I am using my finger quotation marks here, is part of the cooling process. Greenland, which is now covered in ice, it was once called Greenland for a reason, right?
Iceland, which is now green. Oh I love this. Like we know what this planet is all about. How long have we been here? How long? No very long.”

Now let’s get a couple of facts all around.  Greenland has been covered in ice for, like, FOREVER.  Most of it lies north of the Artic Circle (that would be the NORTH POLE).  Furthermore, scientists have noted that the average ocean temperature off of Greenland’s west coast has risen from 38.3 degrees Fahrenheit to 48.6 F, and glaciers have begun to retreat (see AP story http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9255431/ ).  As for Iceland, it’s always had a somewhat more temperate climate than Greenland, and it is volcanically active.

And finally, let’s not forget the “hip-hop” image makeover he plans to give the GOP, wanting to apply the party’s principles to “urban-suburban hip-hop settings” and employing everyone including “one-armed midgets” to do it.

So you have Mr. Steele desperately trying to be one of the cool-kids, compromising everything about himself, and telling his audience what he thinks they want to hear.  The problem is that he’s failing miserably.  Several members of the RNC, including NC Republican Dr. Ada Hill, have called for him to resign.  He’s been criticized by no less than Mike Huckabee, Tony Perkins, and Ken Blackwell, who gave the following according to the Washington Post.

“Chairman Steele needs to reread the Bible, the U.S. Constitution and the 2008 GOP Platform,” Blackwell said. “He then needs to get to work or get out of the way.”

So it’s obvious that Steele isn’t making many friends among the “cool kids” in the GOP.  And much like most people who desperately crave popularity at any cost, he’s pretty much sold out everything he’s believed in, leaving himself a shell and sham of his former self.  One can only feel sorry for Michael Steele, and wonder if it may indeed be a good idea for him to resign as RNC chair.  He’s not doing the party any real service, and he’d clearly be much better off in a position where he can speak his mind freely, without the constraints of the conservative party platform.  His only alternative is to continue to make a fool of himself trying to make Republicans like him, much as we used to do in High School when we wanted to hang with the “cool kids”.  The thing of it is, though, as anyone who’s attended their High School reunion will attest to, the “cool kids” didn’t turn out so cool once they grew up.

Michael Steele GQ Interview

http://men.style.com/gq/blogs/gqeditors/2009/03/the-reconstruct.html

First Read Trackback

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/03/12/1833769.aspx?p=0

Michael Steele on William Bennett

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/16/steeles-tour-de-force-com_n_175317.html

Washington Post Story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/12/AR2009031203315.html?hpid=topnews

For 8 years the Republican party has used fear and intimidation on the American public to push through their agenda.  They used it to garner support for invading
Iraq.  They used it to give George W. Bush a second term in office.  The GOP, perhaps more than any other political party, know how fear can be used as a powerful motivator.  In the right (or wrong) hands, fear can be used to gain capitulation, obedience, subservience, and even silence.  So perhaps one can understand their own fear of one Rush Limbaugh.

Over the past month, no less than three prominent Republicans, GA Congressman Phil Gingrey, SC Governor Mark Sanford, and RNC Chairman Michael Steele, have all had to apologize to Limbaugh after criticizing him and/or his show. 

Steele before:

Rush is not the head of the Republican Party. He’s an “entertainer” whose show is “incendiary” and “ugly.”

Steele after:

“My intent was not to go after Rush - I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh…”
“I was maybe a little bit inarticulate… There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.”
“I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren’t what I was thinking…”

Gingrey before:

“I mean, it’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks. You don’t have to try to do what’s best for your people and your party. “

Gingrey after:

“I clearly ended up putting my foot in my mouth on some of those comments and I just wanted to tell you, Rush, [...] that I regret those stupid comments.”

Sanford before:

“Anybody who wants [President Obama] to fail is an idiot, because it means we’re all in trouble…”

Sanford’s Communications Director after:

“the governor was not referring to anyone” in particular…”

And it’s not just these guys.  Republicans up and down the party are tripping over themselves to keep from stepping on Limbaugh’s toes.  During separate interviews on separate networks, both AZ Senator (and former presidential candidate) John McCain, and MN Governor Tim Pawlenty appeared to turn sheet white at the mere mention of his name.  LA Governor Bobby Jindal was all but ejaculating praise upon Limbaugh.  And still others in the GOP are either falling in lock-step with his call to “hope Obama fails”, or doing everything they can just to keep from pissing him off.

Now let’s all put on our Freudian psychoanalysis hats and dig deeper into this GOP cowardice.  To wit, what exactly is it about Rush Limbaugh that makes them so afraid to challenge him.   Why don’t these guys, who are responsible for running this country, simply tell him to simply STFU.  I think the answer is probably simpler than most of us realize.  The truth is that the GOP really isn’t afraid of Rush Limbaugh in particular.  They’re afraid of the audience he controls.  The red-meat, extreme right wingnut, conservative base that are his avid followers (“dittoheads” as he calls them).  These people hang on his every word.  Unfortunately for the Republican party, they’re also what’s left of their pool of reliable voters, less than ¼ of the country.  At Rush’s command, they will either vote with the GOP, or vote against them.  For a party that needs all of the votes it can get, it’s a very uncomfortable fence to be sitting on.  They’re stuck between disavowing his angry rhetoric and alienating the only base of reliable voters they have, or going along with him and alienating everyone else. 

Needless to say, the Democrats are enjoying every second of this.  Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs makes a point to bring up Rush’s name at every conference.  Rham Emanuel is very comfortable in his role as instigator in the Rush vs. GOP smackdown.  Even Obama has made reference to the GOP joining at the hip to Rush.  However, the Democrats need to be careful about overplaying this.  The thing about fear is that it eventually goes away.  Sooner or later the GOP will wake up from their self-imposed nightmarish devotion to the loudest voice in their party.  At some point, Republicans will realize that marginalizing themselves to the most extreme wing of their party can’t possibly serve them in the long term.  2010 isn’t far away, and sooner or later they’re going to leave their comfort zone and start going after the “real” meat of their party, moderates.  At that point the Democrats had better be ready, or be crushed.

In the meantime, we’re all just content to sit back and watch the show.  After all, Rush is an entertainer.  (Sorry, Rush.)

I paid a visit to my little bro for dinner Sunday.  Both of us being kind of amateur politi-junkies, we checked out a couple of documentaries (one actually a movie) that, in retrospect, we probably shouldn’t have watched back to back.

First we checked out the HBO Documentary “Right America: Feeling Wronged – Some Voices from the Campaign Trail.”  In this doc, Alexandra Pelosi (
Nancy’s daughter) takes us on a tour of so-called “Real America” and its fears about an Obama presidency.  Now, I knew from reading various blogs that folks on the right are still in massive denial about the new president, but this doc was a real eye-opener to the absolute stupidity and ignorance that exists in the small pockets of what the GOP considers “Real America”.  These are people who not only cling to their guns and their religion, they cling to their ignorance, their bigotry, their general lack of sophistication, and their resistance to change.  One person in the doc was wearing a homemade t-shirt that was supposed to say “No to Socialism”, except “socialism” was misspelled.  When asked by Pelosi to define socialism, he started to pull a Palin and told her he’d look it up.  When pressed, he stumbled through an explanation that made it clear he had no idea what he was talking about, and was merely repeating a McCain campaign talking point (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h3cJQJkc_o).  In another segment, a grown man was literally in tears lamenting against political correctness, “You can’t fly the confederate flag no more, you can’t say nothing no more…It used to be, one time, we’re top dog. Now we’re nothing. All the immigrants coming here, they got all the rights, we got nothing.”

As amazed as I was at this shameless display of extreme right-wingism, I found it impossible to be angry at these people, or even mildly annoyed.  In fact the only emotion I could muster for these people was pity.  My anger is at the GOP itself, as they are targeting these people because of their ignorance and their fear, and manipulating them in order to keep them in line.  This is what is left for the GOP, people who put no more thought into their political views than they would into shooting a moose.

Part two of the evening’s entertainment was the Michael Moore Documentary “Sicko,” where he takes a look at America’s health care system and compares it to government run systems in Canada, France, England, and Cuba.  Now, before I go further, I should disclose that this is the first time I’ve seen the film.  Furthermore, I’m going by what I got from the film itself and not from any empirical research of my own, so take this part with the grain of salt that it’s worth (which is how you’re supposed to view all blogs anyway, right?).  That being said, watching this film and seeing how other countries treat their citizens regarding health care as compared with the hoops we’re forced to jump through here, I was amazed at just how bass-ackwards we are here.  In the film, a couple in France pulling in about $8,000.00 a month net, pays the same in health care as someone who makes practically nothing.  That would be ZERO.  It’s the same in London, and in Cuba, and Canada.  And yet the people live longer, are healthier, and are living better than most of us making the same amount of money and paying into private insurance.  This is what the people in the first documentary would call SOCIALISIM.  Meanwhile, people in this country who are underinsured or uninsured are DYING from our system of profit run health care.  A system where the goal is not to keep individuals healthy, but to keep money in the pockets of private insurance executives, and the politicians (Democrat and Republican) who support them. 

Again, because I’m writing this based merely on my impression of the film, I’m providing links to views, pro and con, of both France’s and Canada’s socialized health system to allow you to draw your own conclusions.

My point in all of this is to ask a simple question.  How did we get to this place?  When did we become so self-preoccupied, so self-centered, so selfish that we can’t see beyond our own petty needs and fears?  When did we become so divided into Left-America and Right-America that we’ve been blinded to the duty we all have to care of ALL of America?  It would be easy to blame 8 years of the Bush “with us or against us” agenda, but it would also be wrong.  However, this leaves an even more disturbing alternative.  Perhaps we’ve always been this way.

Canadian Single-Payer Health Care System: Is It Better Than US Health Care?

http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1503

The Ugly Truth About Canadian Health Care

http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_3_canadian_healthcare.html

The Health Care System Under French National Health Insurance: Lessons for Health Reform in the United States

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1447687

Health Care BS – French Health Care for the US

http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/08/13/french-health-care-for-the-us-merci-non/